House lawmakers in Louisiana rejected legislation on Monday that would have laid out a regulatory framework for legalizing adult-use marijuana in the state, voting 57–37 against the proposal from Rep. Candace Newell (D).
The measure, HB 978, would not have legalized cannabis itself. Rather, it would have begun establishing a regulatory system that would take effect if either the state or the federal government later legalized marijuana for adults.
“The bill does not legalize recreational marijuana,” Newell told colleagues ahead of the floor vote, describing legislation as a sort of trigger law. “This is a regulation structure that I would like to see Louisiana put in place in preparation for having recreational marijuana legalized on the federal level or on the state level.”
“Oftentimes,” she added, lawmakers “have put in place regulation structures—trigger laws—that have been in place just in case our federal government does make some changes.”
Opponents, however, said they were against legalizing marijuana and couldn’t support a regulatory bill.
Rep. Laurie Schlegel (R), who introduced an amendment that was adopted to delay the bill’s effect until a separate law taxing marijuana were adopted, said she wouldn’t vote for HB 978 itself, “just to be transparent, because I
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